I wish I had a better name for it, but the fact is that I don’t. In fact, since the last post that I made telling everyone my intentions of eventually posting it, I’ve since all but forgotten what it was all about. Something about chicken . . . and rice . . . in a petite burro . . .

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Basil, garlic to taste
• Cilantro to taste
• 2 packets taco seasoning (mild or hot, although one of each is a nice compromise)
• Shredded cheese, probably cheddar, but fontina is a nice twist
• Taco sauce (optional)
• Flour tortillas (optional . . . really)

Prepare and Cook

• Begin by cooking the rice as directed. Meanwhile, cube and brown the chicken breast over medium heat.
• Chop the onion and tomatoes. Over medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil and sprinkle on basil and garlic powder. When the onions begin to caramelize, add in the diced tomatoes, reduce heat and cover.
• Once the chicken is about half cooked, add in the taco seasoning and follow the directions on the packet.

Serve
You can serve this as a burrito just or as a chicken and rice dish. I did it as the latter, and the burrito part was sort of an after thought. Either way, pile the rice, vegetables and chicken on to a plate or tortilla (on a plate). Add the shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and taco sauce to taste and voilà!

Also, you can drizzle the sauce from the chicken pan if you’re in to that sort of thing. I know I am.

So here’s a chicken dish that’s been turning out well with some consistency in both preparation and review.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts (or enough for 4 people)
• 2 Tomatoes (cubed)
• 2 Onions (cubed)
• 2 cups (or 4 servings) white rice (jasmine is always nice) (prepared as directed on package)
• Fontina (shredded)
• Olive oil
• Red vinegar
• Lemon juice
• White cooking wine (optional)
• Green Tabasco (optional)
• Basil
• Fresh ground pepper (buy a mill, dammit)
• Garlic powder
• Cilantro (fresh)

Preparation
Before you begin:

• Cube the tomatoes and onion into bite-size chunks and set aside in separate bowls.
• butterfly and half the chicken breasts
• Shred the cheese and chop the cilantro

Ready? Go!
Prepare the rice as directed on the package. The time here will depend on the type of rice and the method in which you prepare it. Lacking a rice cooker, I choose to cook on the stove top which, taking about 20 minutes, is a perfect time for this dish as the whole thing should take about that long. While the rice is cooking, begin cooking the vegetables and chicken as follows.

In a small frying pan (I use an 8 in.), begin caramelizing the onions in olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of red vinegar over a medium heat, breaking up the onions into smaller pieces while cooking. Add a generous amount of pepper and basil to taste (about 1 tablespoon) and cover. Let cook for about 10 minutes, turning the onions occasionally so as not to burn. Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes to the onions, stirring carefully to distribute the tomatoes without smashing them. Cover and let sit on a low heat until the rest of the dish is ready.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan large enough to hold all of the chicken without overlapping, add olive oil and about 2 tablespoons of red vinegar, and set the heat to medium. Once the red vinegar begins to bubble a little bit, add the chicken to the pan. After about 5 minutes, add about 4-6 tablespoons of lemon juice, a dash of the white cooking wine (optional), coat the chicken with garlic powder, dash with Tabasco (optional), cover, and reduce heat. Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes, turn, and recover. Since we will be cooking the chicken for about 15-20 minutes, be sure to use a low heat so as not to over-cook and dry the chicken out. When the chicken is almost ready, uncover, raise the heat to hi, and turn the chicken again. Allow the chicken to cook briefly just long enough to slightly sear the presentation side (1 to 2 minutes).

A dish best served funky…
Serve the chicken, presentation side up on a bed of rice and top with the onions and tomatoes (don’t forget the juice!). Garnish with the shredded fontina and cilantro. Also, the green Tabasco goes well with or without the cilantro. Some bread would also be nice—you should figure that out.

Serves 3 to 4 people.

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And that’s it. The whole meal should only take about 25-30 minutes with preparation. The Fontina, a softer and mild cheese, can be substituted with something else to your liking. I suggest that you keep it soft and mild; however, if you want to go hard, try some Parmesan (If I catch you using that Kraft trash, I will break into your house and tear your wife in half!).

I came up with a pretty descent barbecue sauce/marinade this last time I lit up the barbe. This was used on pork chops (micro-chops!), but would also work well on other meats, especially chicken. Just don’t burn the shit like I did. I hate coals.

Bastard Sauce:

Barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup, garlic powder, red vinegar, black pepper, green Tabasco, oregano, dash of salt.

Listed in order of most to least used. You figure it out.

So I’ve come up with a taco recipe. Tacos, first off, are not necessarily a main course. They are traditionally, and still are, served as entreés or snacks; however, just as someone might go nuts with some buffalo wings, they can easily make up the entirety of a meal.

In a small frying pan, sauté 1/2 an onion in olive oil over medium heat for roughly 5 minutes or until just tender. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste and let cook for about 2 more minutes and then transfer to a covered bowl to keep warm.

While the onions are cooking, butterfly and dice 1 chicken breast to bite size pieces.

In the same pan (do not clean or drain it), cook the chicken in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice over medium/medium high heat. After about 3 minuts add, and mostly to taste, the following: a few spurts of red vinegar, tabasco, worcestershire sauce, Dragon sauce and sprinkle with garlic powder. As for the “Dragon sauce,” I have no idea where it came from as I just found it while sifting through the cabinet, but it smells and tastes similar to soy sauce—which you can use as a substitute. Let cook for another 2 minutes. Combine the onions and the chicken in the pan and continue to cook until the chicken is firm and is white and nearly dry in the center. Remove from heat, cover and let stand. You should end up with a brown mix of chicken and onions hence the “dirty.”
In another pan, fry corn tortillas in corn oil to preference; I like them best just slightly crunchy. Fill the tortillas with chicken, onions, and drizzle sauce from the pan over each. Optionally garnish with a little cheese (careful not to overpower everything eles) or cilantro. Makes about 7-8 tacos. This can also be served as tacquitos or fluatas.